American craft brewers are not just making beer, they also use their beer sales as a force for good. Craft brewers donated an estimated USD 73.4 million to charitable causes in 2016, up from USD 71 million in 2014.

… because what you will see might throw you into a depression. Between 2008 and 2016 the US beer market shrunk from 219 million barrels (256 million hl) to 213 million barrels (249 million hl) and that despite the fact that the US economy under President Obama (January 2009 until January 2017) witnessed economic recovery and falling unemployment. Given the depth of the 2009 recession, some argue the recovery was relatively weak. But, compared to the Eurozone, the US economy performed relatively well, with unemployment dropping to pre-recession levels.

How do you reconcile reports of millions of Venezuelans seeking food anywhere they can find it, including trash cans and dumpsters, with a recent Reuters article (27 September 2017) that local craft brewers are creating a buzz?

On 25 September, Bill Owens turned 79. In case you have never heard of Bill (shame on you), in the course of his life he has worn many hats: he was a homebrewer, campaigner, brewpub operator, accidental inventor of the IPA style (his Alimony Ale was billed “the bitterest brew in America”), founder of the Alpha King Challenge, publisher of the American Brewer magazine and author of “How to build a small brewery”. Last but not least he was and still is an acclaimed photographer.

Never underestimate the money men’s powers of persuasion. While Boston Beer, the number two craft brewer in the country, is busy implementing its turnaround plans after years of falling beer sales, analysts and other commentators are pushing hard for Mr Koch to sell his company.

You’d think the number three brewer in the US, Constellation Brands, would have done the research before paying USD one billion for San Diego craft brewer Ballast Point.

Is it really in response to changing consumer lifestyles, or is it just a secret ploy to save on excise?

It really is KISS. KISS is nothing untoward. It’s just one of those acronyms that keep changing their meanings. In this case it stands for Keep It Simple and Small.

You have to give it to Scottish punk brewer BrewDog: they don’t lack in imagination. Their latest whacky idea, revealed to the world in early August 2017, is to open a craft beer bar that straddles the US-Mexican border.

How do you measure success? In less than two months, the Brewers Association’s “independent craft brewer seal” has been embraced by over 1,700 breweries.